War letters

War letters were missives written by Assassins and Templars that were sent around the globe during the mid-18th century. However, some of these messages were lost when their couriers died en route, leaving them to be collected by Shay Cormac.

I realize the operation in Chichen Itza will be slow without manpower, but we risk discovery by our enemies if we continue. Already, exaggerated reports of Goree’s slave trade begin to circulate. Surely you can find slaves closer to the site? The French or Spanish colonies in the West Indies are surely more feasible.

Do you remember your Auntie Rhona? You were but a wee bairn when I last saw you. We would not even let you carry a real blade, but from all accounts you are making us proud up there in the North.

The reason I am writing to you after all this time is that I have gone and made a bit of a mess. You would think, being a Master Assassin in charge of Havana that I have neither the time nor the energy to carry on these dalliances with the stunning array of beautiful menfolk that wander through Havana. And yet, I feel that must take every opportunity to enjoy myself, because Lord knows I am not getting any younger. At the very least, you might think I would know better than to get caught in bed with a Templar. Again.

I’m not making you uncomfortable with all this randy blather, am I? You were always such a serious child. Anyway, the scoundrel’s name is Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer. He has fled Havana with some of the items bequeathed to me by Ah Tabai, ancient maps of the Yucatán Peninsula and some of my correspondence with other Assassins in the West Indies.

Things here are tenser than the knots in de Ferrer’s muscular back. The Spanish, French, and British are all itching to control my lovely city. My lovely Assassins desperately want to chase after de Ferrer and murder him, but I need everyone to stay in Havana to keep the people safe from another boring conflict between Empires. I am as busy as I have ever been, but, it all feels so terribly bland. What happened to the grand adventures that saw us racing against the Templars for a powerful artefact that time forgot? Now it is just a territorial squabble between faraway regents. Maybe that is another reason why I let myself get fooled by that sinewy devil. He made me feel young again.

Being of a Spanish persuasion, if de Ferrer is not in Mexico, he will likely be in a colony close by, either Florida or perhaps even France’s Louisiana. If you find him, be a good boy and give him a stab in the neck from your old auntie.

Rhona Dinsmore
Havana

1746
Brothers and Sisters,

I am writing to inform you that a new Brotherhood is being created in the New World. Already I have allies amongst English colonists, French colonists, and the indigenous people of the area.

I have sent similar letters of friendship across the known world. For I believe that we are growing ever more connected, day by day. If my Brotherhood is to succeed, we will need allies from all empires, of all genders, of all races, who believe in the same thing: The Creed.

Jeanne was sold to a merchant last year, but as luck would have it, that merchant is Philippe-Olivier de Grandpré, who owns a rival business company here in New Orleans. If you can use your influence in the world of economics to dampen his financial prospects, I believe that I can secure a relationship through marriage and the promise of renewed stability in his business.

Grand Master Birch has made arrangements to connect me to Count Heinrich von Bünau and be appointed secretary of his magnificent library, containing some 40,000 volumes of exquisite knowledge. While on the surface, my task is to assist the Count with writing a book on the Holy Roman Empire, I will be penetrating said 40,000 volumes for anything which can help Grand Master Birch locate any Precursor sites of power.

What a marvelous idea this First Civilization is! And what a bold vision Grand Master Birch has. I have long believed that the only way for us to become great is to emulate the ancients. However, when I first came up with that thought, I was referring to the Greeks and Romans. But if we could be like Those Who Came Before, there would surely be no stopping us. I wonder what kind of art the First Civilization created. Did they have music? What did they consider to be beautiful?

But now, to the point of my correspondence. Should you discover any tomes related to the history and mythology of the indigenous people that surround you, please send a copy to yours truly, so that I may add them to my research? How I wish I could publish a book about the Precursors. They are my new, albeit secret, obsession. I suppose I will have to settle for publishing books on human art.

Your masterful handling of your father’s business has not escaped our notice. Your elevation into the upper crust of New Orleans society has not escaped our notice. Your discovery of our Order hiding beneath the skin of the world has not escaped our notice.

You have our attention. We are well aware of your desire to join our ranks. Here then, is our offer.

We believe there is something of immense value beneath the ancient Mayan stones of the Yucatan peninsula. Our endeavour will require large quantities of raw materials, including a constant supply of disposable labour.

If your cunning can supply our needs, we will see to it that your power and influence is not limited to the paltry colony of your birth.
By receiving this letter, you have already agreed to our demands. Stand ready for further instructions.

Regretfully, I have not found any trace of the Precursor box. However, I believe I have stumbled upon something greater. A large Mayan city. It is my humble opinion that we should begin an excavation immediately. I request permission to allocate large quantities of resources and manpower to Mexico.

Rafael Joaquin de Ferrer
Chichen Itza

1750
Dear Father,

I have arrived in Cuba. Since the loss of Grand Master Torres, the underworld of Havana has been in the grip of the mad Scot Assassin Rhona Dinsmore.

Dinsmore is old, but well protected. I fear there may be no Rite established here until her Brotherhood is eradicated. I fear the West Indies may be lost to us.

I will stay in Havana for a time. I will search for this Precursor box to the best of my abilities. I trust my work here will erase any debt our family owes to that wretched Birch.

Your loyal son,
Rafael Joaquin de Ferrer
Havana

1746
Master Harrison,

I do not know what your sources are, but after conducting a thorough search of Lisbon and the surrounding area, I have found no trace of a Precursor site. I believe that your intelligence has failed you.

If there is nothing else, I must return to my duties. As the nations around us continue to bicker, trade has increased. There are other more pressing matters to attend to.

I have followed John de la Tour to his homeland in the North. The weather does not agree with me, as I am too used to the climate of the West Indies. But I will not let this arrogant bastard know how much I suffer.

We arrived in Quebec to find Mathieu Léveillé, a slave from Martinique who was purchased by the French government to serve as executioner. He was said to possess certain knowledge of the First Civilization. But we were too late. The cold weather took its toll on the poor man and he died from an illness last September.

But all was not lost. To cure Léveillé’s depression, the government procured him a wife from the West Indies. As the marriage could no longer take place, she was put up for sale. John de la Tour, acting on instinct, bought her. And he was right. Though she was scarcely allowed to be in her intended’s presence due to the fear of infection, the executioner gave her his most trusted secrets and she promised to keep them safe.

I asked for her name. She told me that she had just been baptized Angélique-Denise, and before that, she had another name given to her by another master. I told her that, as she no longer had a master, her freedom would begin by choosing a name for herself. She laughed – she has the most delightful laugh! – then she told me that her name was Abigail.

The situation in Port-au-Prince remains grim. There is still no sign of Vendredi, and I begin to suspect, as you do, that Mackandal sent him away with a sinister purpose. I suspect that he is dead, but I do not think it was the earthquake that killed him.

Our contacts in the colonies to the north have revealed that Lawrence Washington has returned with the stolen artifacts in his possession. Your old friend Achilles is there. I suggest you seek him out.

I remain here, to do what I can, but Mackandal grows ever more unstable. I fear that by starting over, our deranged Mentor will be driven to committing a truly awful act. As promised, I will keep a watchful eye on him as best I can.

It is my hope that when your business in the colonies has concluded, you will return here. Help me reform our Brotherhood and make Saint-Domingue a home.

Lady Luck was on my side, and I did not have to find an excuse to abandon my brother in the tropics. George caught a small case of smallpox, so I was able to slip away to Port-au-Prince while he recovered. I am relieved that he survived the illness, though it is likely he will have some scarring. He is a bright boy and I hope to spare his tender heart from the ugly truths of our most serious business.

Once in Haiti, I wasted no time in tracking down the Assassins. They are led by a one-armed Maroon leader named François Mackandal. A reckless tyrant if I ever have seen one. I tracked his man Vendredi to the entrance of a cave of some kind. My plan was to ambush him on his way out. But as I lay in wait, an earthquake struck. The Assassin came running out of the crevasse, but his legs were crushed under falling debris. I promised to free him if he told me where Mackandal was hiding. He did, and I slit his throat. I should have liked to explore the cave myself, but the entrance was obliterated.

The devastation provided an excellent cover for my approach on Mackandal’s camp. I stole two Pieces of Eden in his possession: a strange Precursor box and a mysterious manuscript.

By the time you receive this, I will already be on my way back to Virginia. Prepare yourself. Our true work begins now. Upon my return, we’ll be able to share the glad news with the Grand Master in London. Perhaps my leadership in the colonies will finally be recognized.

May the Father of Understanding guide you.
Lawrence WashingtonBarbados

I am sorry to hear about your troubles with the captain of the Aquila. A ship like that deserves the best, and as such, I will not take her helm. I am unworthy of such a vessel. I would only bring her to ruin, and I would never forgive myself if anything were to happen to her.

I do feel able, however, to serve as first mate. I will look after that ship as if she were my own flesh and blood. I will make damn sure the crew treats her the same.

However, before I set foot aboard I have identified some obstacles closer to home. I believe that two powerful French shipping companies are Templar-owned. The Levesque family of France and the De l’Isle family down in Louisiana. They are sending twice as many ships out to sea, but their profits do not seem to be increasing. What are those devils hiding?

We still have some work to do securing our operations here before I can justify leaving my life here behind and joining your cause completely.

Until then, I will do as much as I can to lend aid, for I have a feeling that dark days are ahead for you lot. I feel a storm coming on, and I am rarely wrong about the weather.

Thank you for the kind invitation to join your Brotherhood, but I must decline. I have recently married my sergeant’s daughter and I am committed to serving the Dutch Army.

Your admiration for my skills and devotion is appreciated. Your concern for my well-being is also appreciated, but unnecessary. I will not let the rules of society keep me from my duty. As someone who believes in freedom, I trust you will understand my decision.

We are basically just sending letters out filled with secret plans and praying they arrive safely. We need a front company, or a series of companies, to double as a communications network.

Master Johnson in New York has recently been appointed as the Colonel of the Warriors of the Six Nations. Not only is he well-established, but his relationship with the Mohawk may well benefit us in the future. I suggest we begin friendly overtures immediately.

In the meantime, I plan on influencing my in-laws to create a trading company a little closer to home.

Three years ago I obtained a journal from Edward Kenway. Inspired by his discovery of the Observatory, he dedicated many years of his life to seeking out other First Civilization sites.

He found several vaults in Italy, of which we are already aware. There was a hollowed-out temple in Alamut. But the most interesting parts of the journal were his suspicions that something was hidden in the New World, a location so grand that it would make the Observatory seem like a latrine.

I want this grand temple. I have set it as my Order’s highest priority and I am using every asset at my disposal. I am reaching out to Rites across the world. Whatever it contains, be it technology or knowledge, I will use to usher in a new age of peace.

As a Master Templar, you have learned your lessons well, and have earned this opportunity. You are my eyes and ears in the New World now. Do not fail me, Lawrence.

May the Father of Understanding guide you.
Reginald Birch

1748
Senor Achilles,

Although we have begun preliminary designs for a ship for your Assassin fleet, we will be unable to construct her here in Spain.

We are growing concerned over a growing British presence in the area. While on the surface it appears to be its rampant imperialism at play, we suspect its ultimate cause is the Templar Order. It seems their Grand Master is becoming increasingly obsessed with the legends of the Precursor race. We choose to focus on more worldly affairs, and in accordance with that we are working to appeal to the Spanish crown to prepare us for any conflicts that lay ahead.

I have sent our designs to the Assassin Council in France. I believe they are your best hope for an ally at the present time.

I am less than pleased with paltry results coming from the colonies. I have other agents around the globe searching tirelessly for Pieces of Eden and you and your motley crew are busy building a postal service.

What is more, I understand that an Assassin Brotherhood has taken root somewhere outside of New York. This simply will not do.

I am making arrangements to transfer one of my agents to the colonies. His name is George Monro. Although he is your better in every way, he will be your subordinate as you are the expert on that part of the world. However, he is there to solve your problems. Make good use of him.

Be ready for further instructions.

May the Father of Understanding guide you.
Reginald BirchTroyes, France

I reject your offer of help. I have recruited my own Brotherhood, liberated from plantations. My faithful acolytes are all I need. They are willing to die for our cause.

I reject your calls for peace. There will be no peace while the French continue to spread across Saint-Domingue like a plague. What would you know of peace, raised by such a soft Mentor as Ah Tabai? If I found a Precursor relic, I would not destroy it! I would use it as early and as often as possible.

My knowledge of the Brotherhood comes from its source. "Laa shay’a waqi’un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine.” I understand these words in a way you never will. My Creed is pure, undiluted by centuries of weakness and compromise.

If your so-called Assassins oppose me, they may possibly die. If your so-called Maroons join me, they will surely die. All things end in death. It may as well be French deaths.

François Mackandal
Port-au-Prince

1749
Master Harrison,

We regret that you will not be able to attend our soirée. Madame de Pompadour wishes to see the sea, and King Louis XV has chosen our fair city to satisfy her. The visit will no doubt disrupt the finances of the city to a great degree, but that hardly concerns people like us, does it?

I trust your Grand Master Birch is well. Business between our two companies is going rather well. As per his request, we have begun to expand our colonial operations to include searches for Precursor elements. We have made contact with Madeleine de l’Isle in New Orleans.

We are also talking to our Spanish contemporaries, who are also quite active in the area. They suggest that while gaining access to the Yucatan peninsula via the West Indies is dangerous, an entry through the English colonies might be safer.

Please thank Grand Master Birch for his thoughtful gifts, and rest assured we will inform him if and when we make a discovery.

May the Father of Understanding guide you.
Magdeleine LevesqueLe Havre

1751
Grand Master,

Florida under Alonso Fernández de Heredia looks to be running smoothly. Already he has established a naval stores industry, and the Spanish government is poised to populate the area. I would expect no less from the first Templar governor the area has seen since Laureano Torres, God rest his soul.

As instructed, he continues to send raids against British forces here in Georgia, to divert attention away from our operation. As slaves are sent to Florida, he transfers them to de Ferrer in Mexico. I recommend that we make Fernández the governor of Yucatan as soon as possible as de Ferrer’s work site will soon need protection from prying eyes.

I further recommend that the Order leave Florida. Although the Assassins have not set foot in Florida for centuries, there is a new Brotherhood at work in the northern colonies, and Florida is too accessible. I recommend Louisiana as a new base of operations for the Chichen Itza excavation. The de l’Isle woman has proven herself ruthless and capable. I believe a promotion to Master Templar with the mandate to oversee the Chichen Itza operation would be a logical next step for her.

May the Father of Understanding guide you.
John HarrisonSavannah, Georgia

I imagine you have questions about how it is you are no longer a prisoner of the British Empire. As you are deeply stupid, let me explain it to you.

Officially, your release is a minor footnote in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. Unofficially, I freed you. You are, at best, unremarkable, and at worst, irrelevant, not only to your country but to the history of the human race. Either way, you belong to me now.

I am something of a businessman, and I have need of someone unremarkable. You will soon be granted a position in the naval bureaucracy, and I will make use of what passes for your administrative skills. They certainly surpass your skills as a naval officer. To begin, you will be my eyes and ears. Small jobs for small pay. In time, you will speak with my voice, and your rewards will also get… louder.

I do not expect you to understand at present. All you need to know is this: you serve a noble purpose and a Grand Master.

Nadir Shah is dead by my own hand, though the fiend managed to kill two of my Brothers.

However, through devious trickery, the Koh-i-Noor Diamond has fallen into the possession of Ahmed Shah, an Afghan chief. I must pursue him immediately if we hope to claim the Piece of Eden for ourselves.

Although my heart is glad to know I have allies across the world, I regret that I cannot take the time to know you and your cause better.

I have arrived in the British Colonies to the North. While it saddens me to know that I will never see you again, nor benefit from your wise counsel, I look forward to the challenge of creating a Brotherhood here that will rival the one you created in Tulum.

However, I have encountered the unexpected: I am not the first Assassin to walk these lands. I have met a man called John de la Tour, from a powerful and established family in Acadia, to the North. He claims to be receiving instructions from the Assassin Council in France.

De la Tour is attempting to build a network of information, with the intention of more easily identifying any potential threats to the Colonies. He has a theory that the New World likely contains Precursor sites and artefacts. And while I suppose the Templars will eventually arrive here to siphon off a share of the natural resources, should a remnant of Those Who Came Before reveal itself, then they would descend upon the Colonies like thunder. John intends to discover them first while building a Brotherhood to protect them.

John de la Tour is brash, he draws attention to himself, and for a time, I thought he would surely compromise the Brotherhood. But I was wrong. He misdirects with charm, he hides in plain sight behind a smile. The people know that he is rich and that he is dangerous, but they never get a moment to question why. Still, he is unbelievably arrogant. I like him, but I do not trust him. I wonder if we will be able to work together.

The Assassin Council is pleased to inform you that the construction of your ship is complete. She was made by the finest shipbuilders in Brest. We have named her the Aquila, a constellation whose brightest star is named Altaïr.

Let me implore you, one Grand Master to another, to lend me the aid of your agents or connections in government in my fight against the French and Ottoman Empires, and the Assassins that pull their strings.

Our rivalry with the Ottomans stretches back to the failed siege of the Assassin sympathizer Suleiman. Now they no longer attack openly, but seek to incite revolts among my Muslim slaves. And it is no great secret that the Assassin Council in Paris is using its government and military to oppose your tremendous progress in Great Britain.

As you and your company have fresh experience in pursuing both economic and Templar business in occupied lands, any insight you could give to our people here could prove useful.
The Assassins in this part of the world are like ghosts. We know they are here, but we can never find them. They have woven themselves into the very mythology of this place.

I was unable to find any Precursor sites in the Orient. However, I believe I may have picked up the trail of an artefact thought lost for centuries. The Assassin known as Shao Jun possessed a type of Precursor box, rumoured to contain a strange power. The box remained in China for about a hundred years after her death. I believe that the Assassins secreted the artefact out of China via the Manila Galleons bound for Acapulco.

It will probably be found in the West Indies somewhere. That will be a difficult part of the world for us to infiltrate, as it has been firmly under the control of the Assassins since the murder of Grand Master Torres.

Perhaps if we were to provoke the rivalry between the many European empires, we could search for it under the cover of war?

May the Father of Understanding guide you.
John Harrison
Manila

1743
Master Harrison,

With Portugal choosing to trade with India and the Far East, we are increasingly at the mercy of the Omani Arabs. Soon we will be forced to retreat south.

While I agree with you and your Grand Master that there may be untold numbers of Precursor relics waiting for us in the heart of Africa, you will not gain access to them through here.

If you and your Rite are unable to help us, then kindly leave us to our business.

I understand that you are a man of science who became a prisoner of His Majesty while returning to Spain from Ecuador. What an unfortunate coincidence that you were captured on your long journey. Allow me to apologize on behalf of my country for holding your prisoner.

While I am a simple man of real estate and finance, I do so appreciate the bold leaps men like you make on behalf of civilized men everywhere.

I represent an Order that is keenly interested in scientific advancement. It is present in every nation of the world, and I suspect that you may have already met its members, though they never revealed their allegiance.

I would like to use my influence to introduce you to the Royal Academy in London. There are certain antiquities scattered throughout the globe that I wish to locate and acquire, and I believe you will be able to help me.

Yours in friendship,
Reginald Birch
London

1747
Grand Master,

I thought you might like to know that I found your stray dog. Haytham has been asking questions as to what happened to that gormless father of his.

Do not fret, though, the brat still does not suspect a thing. But I had to kill that pointy-eared lout to mask your involvement.

I wonder if you even care. You have Edward Kenway’s journal and all of his fantastical “secrets” about the people who lived before people. Nonsense.

When I met you, you were a man of honour, of discipline, of principle. You were the embodiment of everything that made our Order great. And now look at you. A sad old man obsessed with fairy stories. More interested in gobbledygook than peace.

So if you do not mind, Grand Master, I will leave you to your books, and return to delivering peace to mankind wherever I can. I warn you, if I see an opportunity to deal with Haytham Kenway, then I will take it. If it were up to me, we would have killed him alongside his father.

May the Father of Understanding guide you.
Lieutenant Colonel Edward Braddock
Bergen-op-Zoom

1745,
Mentor,

I am sorry to hear of your failing health. I only hope that this letter reaches you in time.

We arrived at Louisbourg in search of a safe house belonging to Nicolas Court, distantly related to Antoine Court, the religious leader of the Huguenots. Nicolas is a Hermeticist studying the mythology of the indigenous peoples of the New World. De la Tour believed that he had information leading to Precursor sites.

Abigail and I travelled with him, posing as slaves. The subterfuge made my blood boil, but it made de la Tour appear phenomenally wealthy, which opened up many doors that would otherwise have needed to be forced open by more violent means. Abigail soothed my temper and we spoke often about the strange journeys our lives had taken up until that point.

We were running out of time. The wars in Europe have spilled over into the New World, and English troops descended on Louisbourg. John and I attempted to reach out to the French government, but they chose not to augment Louisbourg’s defences, as they realized they could reclaim their losses in treaty negotiations. Efficiency measured in human lives. John and I did what we could to prepare, while Abigail searched the city for the safe house.

Finally, time ran out. John presented me with his Assassin robes. He said that the Templars would surely be on their way, if they were not already in the New World, and the time to establish a Brotherhood was now. He shook my hand, called me “Mentor” and then left the fortress to attack the invading British troops alone to buy me time to complete our mission.

Abigail found the safe house. It was empty, as though Nicolas Court knew we were coming.

I must leave Acadia. The Sky Woman is a myth of the Iroquois, and Abigail and I will flee to New York, and I will, at last, begin to build my Brotherhood.

I hope your remaining days are comfortable and free of pain, Ah Tabai. Thank you for everything you have given me. I will never forget you.

Your disciple,
Achilles
Louisbourg

1750
Master Achilles,

Your Aquila might be the most beautiful ship I have ever seen. Such a nimble thing, darting back and forth like a needle. It made my Stalwart look like a three-legged cow, but she is a three-legged cow that still floats thanks to your timely intervention.

You saved my salty skin, but what’s more, you saved my most excellent crew. Should I make ten fortunes I could never repay you for that.

And so I will be very honoured indeed to help prepare a shipping route between the colonies and your people in Europe. I will even make the trips myself, should the opportunity present itself. Have your man Chevalier de la Vérendrye contact me when is ready, and we will get to work straight away.

One question remains. Are you always so serious? You are like an old man, you are.

We have received word that King George II of England is offering to help finance the fleet of King Frederick I of Sweden, currently under construction in our shipyards. We suspect that King George’s court may be influenced by our enemies.

We have been using the Swedish Levant Company as a cover since 1738. However, as a mercantile enterprise, it is not going very well. With the threat of Templar activity in the shipyards and our own limited resources, we regret that we cannot help you build a ship for your fledgling Brotherhood. May I suggest you contact the Assassin Council in France?

We are elated that you are establishing a Brotherhood in the New World and we regret not being able to do more to assist you.

Although I am very impressed with the growth of the Colonial Brotherhood, I feel a sense of dismay and creeping dread that you continue to ignore my warnings about the approach of the British Rite of the Templar Order.

Reginald Birch has been scouring the world for Precursor artefacts and we have intelligence that suggests he will soon turn his attention to the colonies. If, nay, when he does, he is sure to send his most dangerous agent, Master Haytham Kenway.

There may be Templars in the New World now. No doubt you have clashed with them already. But you have not encountered cunning or danger until you have faced a British Templar. I dread the day that I might face Kenway myself, and I implore you to heed my call for caution.

My next mission takes me to Corsica so I must prepare for my journey. I will contact you as soon as I possibly can.